Directing For The Theater: The Basics - It All Begins With The Play

RedElf (Elle Fredine), photographer, published author, educator, with over thirty years experience directing and designing for theater

So you want to direct Broadway show?

What pops
into your mind when you hear the word "director"? Most of us would
flash on an image similar to the one above - the almost-universal symbol for
the director. Those of us of a certain generation might be inclined to add a
megaphone and a pair of jodhpurs à la Cecil B. DeMille to complete the picture
of the quintessential film auteur.

Directing
for the stage is a far cry from grabbing a megaphone and shouting
"Action!" or “Cut! Print!” and “That’s a wrap.”

In all
fairness there is a whole lot more to directing a film that most of us in the
audience will ever see or appreciate, and in both genres, working with your
actors is only part of the picture. You must first deal with script analysis; character analysis; set, props costume, lighting and sound design; and a mountain of other details before any actor sets foot in the rehearsal hall. A lot of time, talent and dedication go
into any production long before the first casting call.

Directing TheatreOffers Christian drama and mime in various forms suitable for worship and entertainment. Also, a video resource concerning peace for religious and educational discussion. Link to web page design.

So what exactly does a director do?

The first step in
any production is to read the play. This might seem obvious, but a director
doesn’t read a play the same way an actor does, nor as a designer, nor as a
production manager. These theater professionals are all looking for different
things.

The director first
reads the play to get a sense of the style, flow, characters, setting, and the playwright’s
intention. Most directors will read the script many times, each time though
searching for different aspects of the various elements in their analysis.

Then they read the
script for the characters. What drives them? What makes them do whatever it is they do?
What kind of women and men (or mythical beings) are these?

It is part of the
director’s job to understand all these characters and their interactions
intimately.

Once they have a
thorough sense of the play, directors can begin to note down the technical
aspects and create a scene breakdown,
or chart of every scene and part scene, with all the characters required for it.

Some directors
prefer a visual representation, with color coding for each character, some
prefer a table in which each scene, or part scene is laid out in chronological
order, with the names of each character required written in the block. This can
become cumbersome, but is less likely to create errors.

For a play with a
fairly small cast, a simple table is easily utilized, with the scenes progressing
along the top, and the characters names down the side. Then, proceeding along
each character’s line, an “X” is placed in each scene or part scene in which that
character appears. This can be a great visual for the director and the cast, as
well as the stage manager, and an invaluable tool in calling rehearsals, to ensure
the correct actors are available for the scene to be rehearsed.

This type of chart
can become complex for a play with a very large cast, like “The Caucasian Chalk Circle” and a number of other plays by Berthold
Brecht, for example. Brecht is legendary for the size of his casts, as well as
the seeming over-simplicity of his characters. For a large-cast play such as
this, it is better to have a listing of the characters in each scene.

Any props are also noted, especially any
specialty ones that may have to be built or purchased. Often this will be left
to the stage manager and the production manager, but it is always good practice
for the director to know what is required for each scene.

Any music or sound effects needed for each
scene, such as the chiming of a clock, a gunshot, are also made note of, and discussed
at the first production meeting with the stage manager, the production manager,
and the sound designer.

Audiences are so
attuned to musical overlays and backgrounds in film that a stage production may
seem quite naked at first without a soundscape. Generally, music or some relevant
sound effect can be used to great effect at the beginning and end of scenes. Part
of the directorial analysis of the play will include some discussion of what
type and style of music and sound effects are needed.

Preliminary
meetings with the set and lighting
designer (often the same person) will have produced ideas for how best to
stage the production. Often a director will have a very clear vision for the
production as a whole, for example, setting Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” in a mid-Victorian, industrial society. This conjures up
images of military uniforms, women in sweeping, restrictive gowns and armed
courtiers with plumed hats, crashing boots and flashing sabers. The designer’s
job then is to bring that vision to life.

The importance of the
costume designer goes far beyond
producing clothing for the actor to wear that is believable in the setting of
the play. They must bring alive the feel of each character in their clothes. In
the brilliantly conceived stage production of “Les Mis”, from our first glimpse M.Thenardier as an amusing
buffoon of an innkeeper, and later when we see him as a vicious gleaner in the Paris sewers, we
instantly recognize his status, his place in the hierarchy of the street
denizens, and something of his character.

On some small
productions, you may not have the luxury of a separate designer for set,
lighting, costumes, and sound, so some or all of these roles will be carried
out by the same person. It is still critical that each set of concerns be
addressed in a detailed manner so no aspect of the production is overlooked.

It usually falls to
the production manager to run the production meetings and see that all the
physical matters of the play – set, lighting, costumes, sound (which may
include original music and/or a musical director), and props – are all on track
and on schedule as rehearsals progress.

As the technical elements
are addressed, the director also is casting
the play.

Sometimes a
director may already have actors in mind when reading a script. Often a
specific actor will come to mind while reading through the play, and that will
be the voice the director will “hear” in that part while reading. If some parts
are cast already when the director is brought on, their job of casting becomes
one of blending the other actors they choose for each role so that the correct balance
is maintained for the balance for the characters and the play.

In casting the
play, whether from a clean slate, or selecting actors to complement those already
cast, the director must first and foremost serve the play and the playwright’s
intention.

The actors that are
considered for each role will bring different characteristics to the part. Each
actor will have a different “weight” and feel; a different walk; a different
way of speaking. Part of the director’s job, a very large part, is to balance
what each actor offers against the needs of the script, and choose the actor
who best fits their vision and the needs of the play as a whole.

Once the play is
successfully cast, the whole mechanics of the production fire up: rehearsals
are set, costumes are fitted, and re-fitted, action sequences – sometimes,
fights – are choreographed, music is chosen, lighting and sound cues begin to
take shape, and the myriad details gleaned from that first all-important director’s
analysis are being seen to…

Comments

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AUTHOR

RedElf

18 months agofrom Canada

Thanks so much, Agnes. I'm the kid who always wanted to know "How does that work?" so it's fun to share some of what goes on behind the scenes. Thanks so much for stopping by.

Maria del Pilar Perez

19 months agofrom Nicholson, Pennsylvania, USA

Very interesting glimpse through a window rarely accessible to the audience. Thank you for this hub.

AUTHOR

RedElf

7 years agofrom Canada

Thanks so much, Silver Poet. nice of you to stop by and comment. I had a lot of fun working in theater.

Silver Poet

7 years agofrom the computer of a midwestern American writer

The art of theater is fascinating, and I was glad to read your hub.

AUTHOR

RedElf

9 years agofrom Canada

Thanks so much, wrenfrost56. Glad you found something to take away. I enjoyed my time in theater.

wrenfrost56

9 years agofrom U.K.

Great hub I really enjoyed reading that. Loads of really good information. A job well done.

AUTHOR

RedElf

9 years agofrom Canada

Thanks for stopping by to comment, ethel - me too, nowadays. Writing about it is much safer, LOL.

Ethel Smith

9 years agofrom Kingston-Upon-Hull

I think I'll pass up this job then thanks :)

AUTHOR

RedElf

9 years agofrom Canada

Thanks so much, Candie. Actually the fish who played the title role in "A Fish Called Wanda" was quite wonderful. I have always enjoyed Wanda's work immensely. I have heard as well that she is very easy to work with, and has never forgotten her humble fish-bowl origins - a rare pleasure in film actors.

Now - dogs - don't get me started on dogs! Lassie quite was another story - you do know that they had to use male dogs because the female collies drop their coat in an appalling manner when they are over-stressed? Talk about shedding it for the casting couch!

Well! Such tail-wagging about the girly-boy dogs and other goings on on those sets! ...and so hard to keep those kinds of rumors from the press. I gather the director had to throw them a bone every day or so - you know how they love to chew things over ;0

I wonder if a director could do justice to "One fish Two fish Red fish Blue fish" It's a complicated plot and cast of characters, worthy of a Cecil B. DeMille close-up!

AUTHOR

RedElf

9 years agofrom Canada

Thanks so much, Enelle...and this is just the beginning, LOL. Thanks for your comments.

Enelle Lamb

9 years agofrom Canada's 'California'

Holy moly - there is a lot of work for a director to do - excellent hub - thanks for the glimpse behind the scenes as it were!

AUTHOR

RedElf

9 years agofrom Canada

That is certainly one style of working with actors - perhaps not a good one, certainly not one I ever found to be effective, but sometimes people shout a lot when they feel out of control. Thanks for your comments ;)

jill of alltrades

9 years agofrom Philippines

What an excellent hub!

I never imagined that a stage director does all of those things - all the pre-directing things that is. I've only seen how directors work during rehearsals and I always thought that they are mean to the cast and other workers because they are shouting (bad words) almost all the time.

I really learned a lot here!

AUTHOR

RedElf

9 years agofrom Canada

Thanks so much, maggs - maybe more than anyone might ever want to hear, LOL ;) Thanks so much for your comments. Always nice to hear from you.

maggs224

9 years agofrom Sunny Spain

As you said a lot more does go on than most people think it is certainly a lot more than I thought. What a well written hub with lots of interesting information

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